Cultural Engagement

Devotional from CU National Fast 2024: Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace of all Nations

By jason walsh, president of christian union universities

As I stood tall before a judge in a civil case, I waited for the judgment to be announced. I was prepared. I was confident the truth of my statements was sufficient. I knew I stood for what was right, but I was unwilling to look to my left at the individual I perceived as my enemy. Memories as a United States Marine during uniform inspections flashed through my mind. I had spent years standing tall while being inspected from head to toe. I prepared for these inspections to the point I’d be surprised if the inspecting Marine found anything incorrect, yet whispers of doubt had me wondering if I overlooked anything while I waited for the final judgment. But this wasn’t the Marine Corps. This wasn’t about my preparation. This involved a person acting as an enemy toward me. While everyone waited for a judgment to be spoken, I thought, "how could this person get away with false claims?” “How could this person be so deceiving?” “Did their lies convince the judge? “Does the truth matter?” “Would my enemy receive a just penalty?”  

The judge lifted his head and said, “Mr. Walsh, you are free to go.”  Replying, “thank you sir,” I quickly headed for the exit, but as I reached for the door I heard, “Mr. Walsh!” It was the judge! I turned around as he said, “Semper Fi!”  This was the Marine Corps motto “Semper Fidelis,” meaning, “Always Faithful.”  The judge was one of my own! Maybe I was one of his own. Regardless, we were both Marines! Both of the same brotherhood and the same family!  Once a Marine, always a Marine!

Jesus says, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (Matthew 5:44-47).

I was relieved and thankful when the judge told me I was free to go, but I hadn’t done anything in the courtroom reflecting love for my enemy or praying in response to their persecution of me. I hadn’t even looked at the person I considered an enemy that day. How was I any different from the rest of the world?  

Paul writes, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life”(Romans 5:10). This is a sobering reminder we were all enemies of God at one point, yet He loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us, pay our penalty, and reconcile us to Him. In other words, Jesus died for His enemies and He died for our current enemies. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

As you read this, religious wars, territorial wars, cultural wars, organizational wars, civil wars, and spiritual wars are happening all over the world. These wars are happening in Israel, the Middle East, Ukraine, and cities and the related ideological wars on university campuses across America. These wars affect fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. These wars affect governments, cities, and university students, many of whom are the future leaders of our nation. 

These wars affect you and I, influencing our perception of good and evil, enemy and friend. But, like my courtroom experience, there is a Judge who oversees it all.  It is great to stand tall for what is right. It is great to stand prepared in truth before the enemy. But what do you do when your enemy persecutes you? What do you do when the enemy persecutes your family, your country, or your organization? What do you do when the enemy makes false claims against you? Do you love them and pray for them? Or do you hope to make them pay for their actions? Do you respond in a way that demonstrates you are part of the same family of Christ Jesus?

As Christians, the greatest thing we have to offer our enemies and those who persecute us is the kingdom of Jesus!  We earn the right to speak to our enemies about the kingdom of Jesus by showing them that kingdom! We earn the right to speak to our enemies about the kingdom of Jesus by loving them and praying for them. Jesus says do this, “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44).

I am honored to be a United States Marine, sharing the same brotherhood with the judge that said, “always faithful.” But, above all, I am eternally grateful I am a son of my Father in Heaven. He is the final Judge who we all will stand before one day. On that day, will we be counted by the Father as enemies?  Or will we be counted as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven?  Sons and daughters who were “always faithful?” 

Father, as Your sons and daughters, forgive us when we are unfaithful to You. Forgive us when we have responded to persecution like the rest of the world. Forgive us when we have not loved our enemies and have failed to pray for those who persecute us. Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace for all nations and all people! Bring peace to Israel! Bring peace on our college campuses! Change our hearts! Change the hearts of Christians in the middle east and in America, so they love their enemies and look to You and pray in the midst of persecution. Lord, I pray that people of all religions would seek you and know You! Lord, heal our nation and bring protection to students on university campuses across America! In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

A Ministry that Equips Tranformative Christian Leaders for Life

By Erin conner, writer and communications associate

Christian Union has been in the national spotlight for several weeks now. From magazine and newspaper articles, television interviews, a podcast appearance, a Worldwide Prayer Meeting at Yale with the Summit International School of Ministry that was live-streamed across multiple countries, and social media ads running from the west to the east coast of the U.S., many people in faith-based circles are asking, "What is Christian Union?" 

Christian Union is a leadership development ministry that works at ten of the nation's most influential educational institutions and beyond to develop and connect Christians to transform culture for God's glory. 

Christian Union (CU) is a unique ministry in that it meets a comprehensive set of needs in our nation's young adults:

1) Christian Union Universities meets the spiritual ministry needs of college students by providing them with one-on-one discipleship, Bible Courses, prayer, worship opportunities, spiritual retreats, and leadership training to strengthen their devotion to and faith in the Lord. 

2) Christian Union America equips and supports these students, as well as other Christian leaders, after graduation with initiatives like mentorship programs, online weekend retreats, Bible studies, Daniel Spirituality coaching, and in person conferences and forums.

Christian Union's aim is to equip and strengthen Christian leaders to wholeheartedly seek God to transform their hearts and minds more unto the image of Christ, and to transform their families, communities, and the nation as a result.

Christian Union Caritas Ministry Fellow Justin Woyak with two students at Stanford. In addition to the ministry at Stanford, Christian Union has established ministries at nine other highly influential academic institutions.

This is a critical ministry in 2024, as the U.S. is in profound need of sweeping spiritual transformation. Despite the large number of Christians in the United States, the impact of the church in our culture has declined steadily. Furthermore, the predominant worldview in the most influential academic and cultural institutions is profoundly secular, pushing destructive ideologies that contribute to societal disorder.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last year released data showing that nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2022, reaching the highest number ever recorded and the highest rate since 1941 following the Great Depression. It seems clear that secular messages of human purpose and freedom are deceptively empty, and young adults are struggling with the highest level of depression and anxiety on record.

Christian Union believes Christ Jesus is the only name that holds the power to stop this trajectory and restore people, individually and collectively, back to Life. Thus, Christian Union develops leaders to proclaim His name in places of spiritual darkness. As a result, thousands of students since 2002, when Christian Union started its ministry, have joined CU with a desire to develop and use their talent, faith, courage, intellect, and fortitude to hunger after God and to transform their spheres of personal and professional influence for His glory. Furthermore, many have found salvation through Jesus Christ too. These students' faces and stories have filled the pages of Christian Union's Magazinefor two decades. 

Christians are called to love the Lord with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and with all their strength (Mark 12:30). Christian Union seeks to help students navigate the challenge, beauty, and implications of this call, not just for the four years they are in undergraduate school, but for the entirety of their lives.

 Consider joining this movement today to help develop Christian leaders and to help America return to God.  

Watch an upcoming interview on the national Christian television show, TCT Today, airing on Wednesday, April 17^th, 2024 at 8 pm (ET) or Thursday, April 18^th at 6 am (ET) here.  

Christian Union Lux' Second Annual Worship and Prayer Event 

By erin conner, writer and communication associate 

Christian Union Lux is a spiritual force of light at Yale University by God's grace and power. A leader of this force is Reverend Jeffrey Walsh. Walsh is a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with over 23 years of experience as a Military Police Soldier, Educator, and National Director of Police. He is also an ordained Christian minister with a lifetime of experience in pastoral ministry. 

Walsh has served in various assignments and attachments worldwide with the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau, the 5th Special Forces Group, and the 169th Regional Training Institute. Jeffrey spent the last ten years in senior leadership positions, including National Director and Subject Matter Expert of Military Police Education and Leadership and Senior Leader of Advanced Leadership Training Programs. He has trained military leaders across North America in his former roles as the National Military Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert and Connecticut State Equal Opportunity and Sexual Assault Program Coordinator. Walsh's combat experience has earned him numerous service awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and four presidential unit awards. And for the last two years, Walsh has served as the ministry director of Christian Union Lux at Yale.

His passion for serving others stems from a personal journey of healing and transformation through the Spirit of God.

Walsh is joined at Christian Union (CU) Lux by his wife, Beth, who serves as the administrative assistant, and two expert ministry fellows, Michael Racine and Chitra Kovoor as well as CU Lux's intern, Luke Bell. This team is currently equipping faithful and dedicated student leaders to plan a large group, faith-based event this Saturday, April 13, 2024, entitled "Rekindle" that will be held in the public square of the New Haven Green behind Center Church from 6-8:30 pm. 

CU Lux hosted their first event like this, a Worldwide Prayer Meeting, last April. The Worldwide Prayer Meeting, led by Times Square Church's Dr. Carter Conlon in cooperation with Summit International School of Ministry, allows people to submit prayer requests and join the livestream event from around the world. The prayer gathering broadcasts to more than 100,000 people across 240 countries. Dr. Conlon is no stranger to Ivy League campuses, having recently spoken at an evangelical event hosted by Christian Union Vita at Cornell last month at Sage Chapel.

Yale's upcoming event will feature powerful student-led worship, testimonies, and prayer with the hope of rekindling a passion to see the name of Jesus lifted high at Yale. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 people attended last year. And there is simply no way to track how far the Word of God traveled that evening last April through the open windows of the freshman dorms and the open hearts of the many attendees. 

This year, Christian Union is hoping to expand its reach by hosting this worship and prayer meeting again. Students have decorated the sidewalks of Yale's campus with details of the event in colorful chalk, informing all who walk the campus of Yale University that they are warmly invited to attend.



This event represents a collaborative effort among Yale students from Christian Union and various other ministries across campus, showcasing the unity and diversity within Yale's faith community. The event provides an opportunity for attendees to connect with fellow believers, engage in meaningful conversations, and/or deepen their understanding of the Christian faith. 

Ministry Director Jeffrey Walsh invites all to "come together to celebrate our faith, learn from one another, and be moved by the powerful message that Dr. Conlon has to share." 

When asked about the significance of this type of event, Luke Bell, former co-president of Christian Union Lux and alumnus of Yale's class of 2023, quoted Charles Spurgeon: "Faith is a cumulative force. 'According to thy faith, so be it done unto thee' is true to one, to two, to twenty, to twenty thousand; and twenty thousand times the force will be the result of twenty thousand times the faith. Rest assured that while two or three have power with God in their measure, two or three hundred have still more. If great results are to come, they will be accompanied by the prayers of many; nay, the brightest days of all will never come except by the unanimous prayer of the entire church." 

Bell, who currently serves as a CU Lux intern, continued, "as Spurgeon said, there is inestimable power when the Church unifies to pray. At Rekindle, we will unite students from Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell as well as churches across the northeast, to publicly worship Jesus, intercede for our campuses, and invite nonbelievers to hear a presentation of the gospel. This is an incredible time to pray for souls across New England to be rekindled with the love of Christ; we look forward to praying for and co-laboring towards building Christ's kingdom here on our campuses, as it is in heaven."  

Join Christian Union in seeking God wholeheartedly and praying with relentless perseverance for God's Kingdom of Light to come and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven at Yale and beyond. 

Watch or share this 90-second video: Rekindle 2024 Trailer

Sharing Christ with an "Unreached People Group" at Cornell and Beyond

By Erin conner, writer and communications associate

While students and faculty were protesting in Ithaca's public spaces and headlines were raging with anger and allegations about attacks on freedom in The Cornell's Daily Sun, Christian Union (CU) Vita students were fixing their eyes on the Author and Finisher of their faith. These students recently surrendered their week of spring break to serve the Lord. They are not looking to the right or to the left; instead, they are gazing upon the beauty of the Lord, knowing He is the One who sustains them and keeps them from sinking into the surrounding culture of despair, as they share the Hope that they have in Jesus Christ with anyone who will listen.  

In March, CU Vita at Cornell kicked off Christian Union's spring evangelism campaign by hosting a one-week event entitled "CU Proclaim," inviting students from Yale, Dartmouth, and Columbia to join them. At the beginning of the week, one student shared with Marcus Buckley, the ministry director of CU Vita, that he wondered how he was ever going to be bold enough to share Jesus with complete strangers by just walking up to them. By the end of the week, this same student could not be stopped, asking for more opportunities to go out and share with strangers. Christian Union students, by the grace and power of God, are taking the demonstrative love of Christ into their spheres of influence at their respective schools for the next few weeks, regardless of the darkness of the spiritual climate around them.  

The week of evangelism at Cornell included a worship event at Sage Chapel, during which students accepted salvation in Christ, found freedom from afflictions, and embodied freedom and joy as they worshiped the Lord.  At this open-door event, many students responded to an altar call given, coming forward to confess the need for God's help and healing through prayer for addictions, fear, anxiety, and other mental and physical issues that plagued them. True freedom through prayer and repentance was found that night in that beautiful chapel at the top of Ithaca.  

The juxtaposition of what happened that night in Sage Chapel compared to what is happening on the contentious campus at Cornell is strikingly didactic to any onlooker: the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14: 17); true stability does not depend upon circumstances,(Psalm 18:2) for the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21); and freedom does not come from following the ways of the world (Romans 12:2). Christ clearly disrupts the messages and culture of the world to give Truth and life. Christian Union is praying that their efforts this spring will help all who have eyes to see Him at the nine highly secular schools where they minister. 

Despite some of the rejection that students of Christian Union faced during CU Proclaim, they continued to boldly proclaim Truth–Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord, and He wants to give all people the gift of salvation, hope, and life. One student shared that he "never experienced so much rejection in his life," during this week of contact evangelism; however, he shared this news with a smile and with a heart of peace, as he had conquered fear of what others might think of him to serve the God he loves.  

In this campaign, students are not just sharing the gospel through contact evangelism, but through other in-person and online means as well. Whether they are distributing literature, posting social media ads on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, or hosting highly visible, large group events, student leaders and faculty are devoted to sharing the life-saving and life-giving message of Jesus Christ. 

Online resources that serve as part of this eight-week outreach campaign can be found at curise.org. One such powerful resource from week one,  a Desiring God article written by John Piper, presents nine ways to know the gospel is true.  

Week twoof the online campaign covers questions related to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, including Tim Keller's powerful two-minute meditation on how Jesus' death is an act of friendship. 

In the third week of the campaign, following Easter, Christian Union plans to have "student-on-the-street" video interviews, as CU students and faculty ask questions related to Jesus on their respective campuses. 

The entire campaign, both online and in person, works to expose every single one of the 73,774 undergraduate students at the universities where CU ministers to the power of the gospel. 

In a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, shared that students at some of America's most influential educational institutions constitute an "unreached people group" with such a low percentage of the student body and faculty identifying as Christians. CBN's article about the interview stated, "Bennett made a sobering statement that underscores the dire state of spiritual affairs and intense lostness at many of these colleges, when he said, 'What's shocking is that, in this audience, you have fewer practicing Christians than you do, say...in mainland China or a lot of other places that we consider unreached.'"

In this interview, Bennett also shared that, in his experience over the last twenty plus years of providing ministry in some of the most spiritually dark places in our country, personal connection, not a campaign is ultimately what inspires an individual to accept the gospel. However, it seems people need to encounter several touchpoints with the gospel before going to a trustworthy Christian in their life with their questions. Consequently, each and every Christian's role is to have the courage to be known as a Christian in their sphere of influence, so that when someone is seeking Truth, they know to whom to turn for direction to find and follow Him. 

Christian Union's boldness reminds all Christians that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of all the world and that followers of God are privileged and duty-bound to proclaim it far and wide in the power of the Holy Spirit. No other message on earth is more important to communicate than the opportunity of reconciliation with God by grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 

Christianity’s mission to the world is love, and nothing is more loving than letting people know how eager God is to wipe away all their sins and to replace death with life, ashes with beauty, and captivity with freedom through faith in Christ.  

Watch the related 12-minute CBN News interview here. 

CU Rise Set to "Disrupt" Spiritual Climate of U.S. Colleges

By erin conner, writer and communications associate 

In 2022, Christian Union first launched CU Rise, an evangelism campaign designed to share the gospel with students at nine of the nation’s most influential universities more boldly, strategically, and frequently than ever before. This month, Christian Union is at it again, as CU Rise takes form for the third spring in a row with its campaign entitled "Jesus Disrupts."

For eight weeks, starting March 17, the goal of CU Rise is to proclaim the gospel, disrupting the current spiritual climate at highly secular universities that produce a disproportionate amount of U.S. and global leaders. Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, recently told the Christian Post that this theme was chosen “to introduce students to how radical Jesus is.”  

The schools across the country that this campaign will focus on include Brown University of Rhode Island, Columbia University of New York, Cornell University of New York, Dartmouth College of New Hampshire, Harvard University of Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University of New Jersey, Yale University of Connecticut, and Stanford University of California.

“Students today at the nation’s most rigorous schools are largely unaware of the most important message in the history of humanity. Jesus Christ has brought more good into the world than any other person, and these students deserve to know, said Bennett. "Jesus is also the only one who can forgive sins and transfer us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We need to do everything we can to give these students the opportunity to believe in Him.”  

Read Christian Post's full article entitled "‘Jesus disrupts’: Christian Student Group to Launch 8-week Evangelism Tour" here. 

Read FaithWire's related article entitled, "Christian Leader's Sobering Comparision Between Communist China and Ivey League Campuses" here. 

 
View and share videos, testimonies, or articles from the CU Risecampaign that explain Christianity here. 

Washington Times Op-Ed on Secularization of Educational Institutions

By Erin conner, writer and communications associate

Sunday, March 17, 2024-- The Washington Times published an opinion article today by Matt Bennett, Founder and President of Christian Union, entitled "America's Founding Universities Lost Their Religion. Are They Worth Saving?" 

The article briefly discusses the histories of several educational institutions in America, such as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, and Stanford. The article also presents a compelling claim that students at these institutions ought to know the fundamental truth upon which their schools were founded: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and, through Him alone, humanity finds salvation and life.

Former Student President Claims Victory in Texas Primary 

By Erin conner, writer and communications associate 

Leaders developed at Dartmouth shape the future of our country by determining what media gets disseminated, what laws get passed, and how major decisions get made. Dartmouth has produced influential figures, including author Dr. Seuss, beloved T.V. personality Fred Rogers, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and former central banker and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (ChristianUnion.org/Cornerstone/Vox). It seems another name of influence may soon be added to this list: Brandon Gill. 

Brandon Gill claimed victory in the GOP primary for the 26th district of Texas to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, who is retiring after 21 years in Congress, according to the Dallas News. Gill received 58.4% of the vote and will now face Democrat Ernest Lineberger III in the November election.

Gill's Congressional webpage states, "I attended Dartmouth College and graduated cum laude with degrees in both Economics and History. I was President of the conservative paper, The Dartmouth Review. I was also President of Christian Union and grew it to be one of the largest student groups on campus, despite being on a campus hostile to the Christian faith. In college, I fought the left nonstop - on their own turf - and I left Dartmouth even more conservative than when I arrived."

Christian Union Universities Proclaiming the Good News This Spring

By Tom Campisi, 2022, revised and edited by erin conner, 2024 

“What shall you do then with Jesus which is called Christ?”

That was the question posed by preacher Dwight Lyman Moody at his Illinois Street Church in Chicago on October 8, 1871. In the sermon, he paraphrased the question asked by Pontius Pilate in the Gospel of Matthew (27:22). Moody challenged the congregation to think about it during the week and return to church the following Sunday with an answer—would they crown Christ as Lord or, like Pilate and the misguided mob of that time, deny his supremacy? However, as Moody finished his sermon, a warning bell began to ring. The Great Chicago Fire was raging. There was no next week at his church, which burned to the ground like many of the buildings in the city.

Highlight: CU America Member, Carrie Sheffield 

By erin conner, writer and communications associate 

Carrie Sheffield, a Harvard alumna and a member of Christian Union America, is releasing a memoir this March entitled Motorhome Prophesies and launching a subsequent book tour across the U.S. 

Sheffield, a columnist and broadcaster in Washington, D.C., shares insights with millions of Americans on networks like CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS News, CNBC, BBC, and more. From ABC’s Good Morning America to HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, PBS, and C-SPAN, she brings a voice of virtue to the American communications and media industry through boundless interviews for articles, appearances on television shows and podcasts, and at forums across the nation. Consequently, many Americans know the professional side of Carrie Sheffield's life. 

In her memoir, we learn about a different side of her life. The book's overview states, "Carrie Sheffield grew up the fifth of eight children with a violent, mentally ill, street-musician father who believed he was a modern-day Mormon prophet…She and her seven siblings were often forced to live as vagabonds, remaining on the move across the country. They frequently subsisted in sheds, tents, and, most notably, motorhomes. They often lived a dysfunctional drifter existence, camping out in their motorhome in Walmart parking lots. Carrie attended 17 public schools and homeschool, all while performing classical music on the streets… at times while child custody workers loomed…Carrie struggled with her mental health during college and for most of her adult life." 

Experience the Power of a CU Fire Retreat — without Leaving Your Town!

By Erin Conner, Writer and communications associate

What is the significance of meeting together in a community to seek the Lord? Why are followers of Christ encouraged in the New Testament to "not give up meeting together?" (Hebrews 10: 25). 

Throughout the Scriptures, we find patterns of regularly seeking God in community with others. For example, daily morning and evening gatherings when the sun rises and the sun sets are found in Numbers 28:1-8. Weekly meetings are held Sunday (originally Saturday) in Exodus 20:8-11; Leviticus 23:3; Numbers 28:9, 10; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and in the first century Church, as recorded in Acts. Monthly or "new moon” gatherings are found in Numbers 28:11-15, and annual special gatherings are held several times per year, especially with seven-day gatherings every six months in the spring and the fall, as shown in Leviticus 23:1-44. 

Alumni Spotlight: Kenneth Jasko, '78, Chair of CU Nova Alumni Board

By Erin Conner 

Following the Word, Not the World in the New Year

By Erin Conner

Joy and suffering can coexist. The Apostle Paul's example, along with many other godly leaders in Scripture, illuminates that when one surrenders a worldly mindset for a godly one, he or she can indeed experience the joy of the Lord, even in the midst of sorrow. This life-giving principle is a timely one to recall during the holidays, when a palpable expectation exists for everything to be abundantly joyous and when many people are carrying a heavy sorrow in their hearts. "When Your Heart Goes Dark," a recent article in Desiring God written by Greg Morse, powerfully explores how a Christian can have hope and joy in suffering. The antidote is to fix one's thoughts on God, for it is the thought-life of man that dictates the state of our soul. 

Christian Union America 2023

By chuck hetzler, phd, vice president of biblical theology

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'” –Luke 2:13-14

Can you imagine the shock and amazement the shepherds must have felt when, out of nowhere, a throng of mighty angels appeared, filling the night’s sky with God’s praise? What a glorious spectacle that must have been when Jesus’ coming was announced! 

Think about His second coming! Heaven will once again break into earth. Without warning, the Lord Jesus will visit humanity once again, but this time in the fullness of His majestic splendor! 

On this Christmas at CU America, we pray that you and yours will be those who have "loved His appearing” and are “hastening the coming of the day of God” in lives of holiness and godliness (2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:11-12). 

Stanford Student-Leaders Labor in Love

By annalisa lim, '24, vice-president of christian union caritas 

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. -Matthew 9:35-38  

In the Santa Cruz mountains of California, six Christian Union Caritas leaders gathered in preparation for the freshman campaign. We delved into the book of Matthew, using the ministry of Jesus to guide our own in the upcoming fall quarter. I recall coming across the words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” and Susan, one of our ministry fellows, highlighting the significance of this passage: it is a promise that God could use us six students to gather the harvest on a campus yearning for Christ. It was also a prayer for more laborers; after all, Christ had radically transformed lives through the faithfulness of His twelve apostles. 

Devotional on Being a Godly Vessel

By justin yim, ministry director, cu gloria law at harvard law 

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17 

One of the greatest joys of being a pastor was (and continues to be) coaching and mentoring young pastors-in-training. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring a good number of seminary students who were cutting their teeth into local church ministry. And in the process of our mentoring relationship – just as Jesus did it with His disciples by sending them out two-by-two – there came a point when I asked for him to preach their first sermon to the congregation. Inevitably, in the week before that Sunday, in a moment of existential panicking whether the sermon was good enough, I would have the same conversation that was given to me when I was a young seminarian: “It’s not about you.”

Student Spotlight: Caroline Parente, '24, Brown University 

By Erin Conner 

Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness… she eateth not the bread of idleness… favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.- Proverbs 31: 25-30

A Devotional to Prepare Our Hearts for a New Year

By Dr. Marcus Buckley, Ministry Director at Christian Union Vita at Cornell

Join Our 21-Day Fast 

By chuck hetzler, PhD, vice president of biblical theology 

 
Is Israel’s current war a sign of the end times? How should we, as Christians, think about the war? What can and should we do?

Christian Union is calling all American Christians to start the year with a 21-day fast, Tuesday, January 2, through Monday, January 22, 2024, to humble ourselves and seek God in light of the current events in the Middle East.

The upcoming CU National Fast is titled "Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace for All Nations." Christian Union faculty and staff will write devotionals based on Scripture, which will be sent to all signed-up participants by email each day of the fast. 

A Closer Look at Jesus' Call to Repentance

By Erin Conner 

Repentance is a beautiful word. It is the name of the road that leads out of darkness. It is the name of the road that leads to life. It is a Biblical concept that, depending on the type of church we grew up in or currently attend, may seem harsh, foreign, or antiquated. As a true follower of God, deep and ongoing repentance, the act of turning away from sin to wholeheartedly following the Lord, is a life-giving spiritual discipline. 

From a deep immersion into Scripture, we find that God never intended for repentance to be a spiritual discipline of the past. God never intended for his people to ignore His commands. In fact, Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) He never intended His people to be “of the world,” obeying the world’s “commands” while neglecting His. (Romans 12:2) We find God never intended self-worship (or any other form of idolatry) to co-exist with the worship of God. From a deep immersion into Scripture, we also find that God never intended for people to go through the motions of repentance without a contrite heart.  

College Students Struggle as Israel-Hamas War Continues

By erin conner

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:35

Many of our nation’s colleges and universities have been in a state of turmoil since the October 7 attacks against Israel. Christianity Today’s recent article by Emily Belz, “As Campus Threats Rise, College Ministries Look for Ways to Help,” takes a closer look at how Christian Union and other ministries are responding.